Qhapter IV 



PREPARATION OF HIDES FOR 

 LOOM PICKERS 



THERE are two methods of preparing hides ior 

 picker purposes. One is hv dehairing without 

 lime, which takes hut a tew hours and is satis- 

 factory provided the hides are scjund, hut this method 

 does not dischise hidden imperfections. Pickers made 

 from hides prepared in this manner run the risk ot he- 

 ing made from hides which are apparently sound, !)ut 

 really imperfect. The other method ot removing the 

 hair is hv the limine process. The hides are soaked in 

 lime pits for the purpose of starting the hair and when 

 taken out are scraped to remove the hair and tlesh. The 

 decay caused hv sun-hurning, previously reterred to, is 

 self-evident in manv cases hut in others it is hidden, as 

 a hide mav appear to he perfectly sound on hoth hair 

 and flesh sides hut he unsound in the center. Liming 

 the hides discloses these imperfections, hut no matter 

 how careful one mav he, or how good a judge ot hides 

 hefore liming, a lot of apparently sound hides \\\\\ show 

 from ^ to 1 o per cent unsound when taken out ot the 

 lime pits. Limed hides are, therefore, the satest tor 

 picker purposes, and it is liides prepared in this manner 

 that we use. 



[47] 



